What???

[darvon]

From Peter King, MMQB, SI.com

... The reason officials called no hold as two Ravens mugged 49er special teamer Bruce Miller on the 108-yard kickoff return for touchdown by Jacoby Jones in the Super Bowl: Miller would have had to be taken to the ground for it to be a penalty.

Huh???

Offensive holding has to go to ground??? What???

Can someone else verify that? Peter has to start quoting the section# for these outrageous claims on what the rules ARE.

[Pruitt]

If that IS the rule, there will be a lot of diving next season.

[ScottDCP]

It is only on kick coverage. It bit the Bills once about five years ago.

The interpretation of whatever the heck the rule is is this: Two dudes pinning an opposing player between them is legal when done on a kick (strangely, it doesn't seem to apply during an interception or fumble return) so long as said opposing player is not brought to the ground. Therefore, two dudes hugging him tight is legal, so long as whatever mugging they do does not bring him to the ground.

[packa7x]

I'm in class right now, I'll look into it definitively later, but I assume the reasoning has something to do with the open field vs LOS play.

[darvon]

OK. Would someone please make me Sports Czar so I can clean up the secret rats nest of the NFL's rules.

We are all reasonable fans here and it still stumps many of us here?? And it surprises PK? arrrggghhhhh!

[packa7x]

OK. Would someone please make me Sports Czar so I can clean up the secret rats nest of the NFL's rules.

We are all reasonable fans here and it still stumps many of us here?? And it surprises PK? arrrggghhhhh!

They do make sense and they're all practical in their own weird way. The problem is, every sports fan doesn't have the time to read the entire rule book.

[tubbs1518]

From my understandings for that to be the case, it would have to be a close-line play. This play was not.

http://static.nfl.com/static/content...er_Conduct.pdf

Here is where the rule is. Page 2, number 1, letter h and exception.

[darvon]

Hey. Let me give Goodell a Thumbs UP.

Prior years the rule book was split into multiple parts (statute law, case law, and supplemental letters) and not available easily on the web.

In 2012, they smashed them all together and put it on the web in a spot where I easily stumbled over it.

http://static.nfl.com/static/content...ule%20Book.pdf

Good job.

[packa7x]

(1) When a defensive player is held by an offensive player during the following situations, offensive holding will
not be called:

(e) if the action occurs away from the point of attack and not within close-line play;

Don't recall, but was it away from the play?

[tubbs1518]

Don't recall, but was it away from the play?

It was Millers lane that he ran straight through. I'd say that it was right on top of the play.